Sand point puncher for wells



A. CLASEN ET AL SAND POINT PUNCHER FOR WELLS Filed May 8, 1954 Dec. 3,1935.

Patented Dec. 3, 1935 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE SAND POINT PUNCHER FOBWELLS Anthony Clasen and Frank X. Scholtes, Kilgore, Nebr.

Application May s, 1934, serial No. 724,591

3 Claims.

stopped up so that the water cannot get through the perforations in thesand point pipe. This means that the pipe of the well must be pulled andnew pipe inserted and sometimes it means that a new well must be dugparticularly in deep wells, as replacing the sand point in deep wells israrely a success.

'Ihe general object of the present invention is to provide a device tobe inserted downward through the piping of the well and into the sandpoint which will operate through the perforations of the sand point tubeand perforate the outer screen so as to permit the ready inlet of water,it then being an easy matter to insert a new and smaller sand pointwithin the old sand point and use the well precisely as before, thusrepairing the well, as it were, at a very small cost.

A further object of the invention is to provide a device for perforatingthe screen surrounding the sand pipe, which includes a pointed wheel orrowel and a resilient shank for this member so formed that as the shankand rowel are inserted in the well pipe and particularly into the sandpipe, the resilient member will force the rowel against the inside faceof the perforated sand pipe and when a prong of the rowel reaches aperforation, it will project therethrough and puncture the outer screen.

Our invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawing, wherein:-

Figure 1 is a longitudinal sectional 'view through a corroded sand pointshowing our means for opening the sand point;

Figure 2 is a side face elevation of the punching tool with a sectionalview of the pipe connection thereto;

Figure 3 is a fragmentary vertical section of a sand point after havingbeen opened by the use of the tool and showing a second sand pointinserted within the rst.

Referring to the drawing, A designates an old sand point and B theperforated metal screen thereof, it being understood that ordinarilythere is a screen of wire gauze or like material designated b betweenthe main screen B and the pipe A. The pipe A is perforated With aplurality of relatively large apertures al disposed in vertical rows andin more or less staggered relation to each other.

The sand pipe A with its screen is engaged at its upper end by acoupling C which in turn engages the pipe D. The lower end of the pipe Dis formed with a shoulder d. So far we have described the ordinary andcommon construction of a sand point, it being understood that 5' thepipe D extends upward to the surface of the ground and is connected to apump.

When the screen composed of a perforated sheet B and the inner wirefabric b becomes corroded and clogged, the passage of water into theinterior of the sand point is obstructed or prevented entirelyl Underthese circumstances, our invention is used for the purpose of openingapertures through the screen B, b, at the perforations a.

The implement which we have devised for this purpose consists of arelatively heavy strip of resilient metal designated I0. This strip atone end is provided with screw-threads I I whereby it may be engagedwith a pipe section I2. The opposite end of the strip is longitudinallyslotted and formed with eyes I3. The strip I0 carries upon it preferablya number of rollers I4 engaging against the inner face of the sand pointpipe A.

Disposed within the slot is a star-shaped punching wheel or roweldesignated I5, the points of which are sharpened. The strip I0 may besinuous or formed with a single arcuate bend so that when this strip isinserted within the sand pipe A, the strip of metal is placed under suchtension that the rowel is forced with considerable force against thewall of the sand pipe A. Under these circumstances, if the cleaning toolor implement be reciprocated, the points of the rowel, which points arespaced apart the ordinary distance of the perforations a in the sandpoint, will enter these perforations and will puncture the screen B, b,in the manner shown in Figure 1. After the tool has been shiftedlongitudinally downward for the full length of the sand point and hasreached the lower unperforated end thereof, it may be given a turn equalto the circumferential distance between one row of perforations a andthe next adjacent row and then again reciprocated and so on until all ofthe perforations of the several rows have been entered by the spurs ofthe rowel and the screen B, b punched out.

Of course, this sand point with its punched out strainer is no longercapable of properly functioning and, therefore, after the withdrawal ofthe cleaning tool, we lower into the well a new sand point designated Awhich is of the same character as the sand point A but is smaller thanthis sand point. 'Ihis sand point A is also the lower extremity of theshank being provided formed with perforations and with a screen over theperforations and at its upper end is provided with a head or coupling I6which is adapted to rest upon the shoulder d. A check valve I1 isengaged with the coupling I6 or disposed on top thereof in the usualmanner and, of course, the piston of the pump operates above this checkvalve which acts as a standing valve.

It will be seen, therefore, that an old and corroded sand point may bepunched out Vand a new sand point inserted so that the well can functionproperly with Very slight expense and without the necessity of pullingthe well pipe.

While we have described certain details of construction and arrangementsof parts, we do not wish to be limited thereto except as defined in theappended claims. Thus while wev have illustrated the upper end of theelement I0 as being screw-threaded at II for engagement with a pipesection I2, we may also use the pipe section I2 as showny in Figure 1,that is, tting the shank of the element I 0 andsimply bolted thereto bythe bolt I8.

We claimr- 1. A sand point puncher of the character described comprisinga shank of resilient metal longitudinally curved in its length andadapted to be inserted downward through a well tubing and into the sandpoint thereof, the initial curvature of the shank being greater than thediameter of the well point into which it is to be inserted with astar-shaped rowel, the shank being provided along its length withrollers adapted to bear against the inside face of the sand point tube.

2. A sand point puncher of the character described comprising arelatively long longitudinally curved shank of spring steel,screw-threaded at one end and at the other end longitudinally slottedand provided with a star-shaped rowel rotatably mounted in the slot, theshank having an initial curvature greater than the diameter of the wellpoint into which it is to be inserted.

3. A sand point puncher of the character described including arelatively long shank, the upper portion of the shank being straight,the lower portion of said shank being extended downward and radiallyoutward beyond the axis of the shank and then extending downward andradially in an opposite direction beyond the axis of the shank, a rowelmounted on the lower extremity of the shank, a wheel located at thelower end of the straight portion of the shank and adapted to bearagainst one side wall of the well tube, and a wheel disposed at thelower end of the rst named outwardly extending portion of the shank andadapted to bear against the opposite wall of the well tube, the initialdeflection in the length of the shank being greater than the diameter ofthe well point into which it is to be inserted.

ANTHONY CLASEN. FRANK X. SCHOLTES.

